Link's Decision
by vessipan
Summary: Link must make a life altering decision. Then all trouble breaks loose. Rated M. Not really Link X Ilia. Read and Review!
1. Chapter 1: The Beginning

When Link woke up one morning in his small tree house in Ordon Village, the first thing he noticed was that someone had been in there. The curtains were pulled back with flowery ribbons, his clothes (which had been thrown on the floor the night before) were folded neatly next to the door, and all of the trash in his room was obviously thrown away.

"H-hello?" squeaked Link. It was a rare thing to hear him talk. Most people thought that he was mute. He sat up in bed. "Hello?"

Nobody responded. He threw off the covers and pulled on a pair of pants. They were clean. He opened the door to his house and walked out onto the balcony. Much to his surprise, Ilia was watering the (dead) plants on his balcony.

She turned around to see him standing there. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "Someone finally decided to wake up!" her voice was dripping with sarcasm. Link reeled backward. She stood up. Something about her struck as beautiful to Link. He shook off the thought. Ilia was his friend. Nothing more.

She strolled into his house, leaving the door open for Link. He followed her inside.

"Now, if you haven't noticed already, I cleaned up the house for you. It was SO messy. And I washed Epona in the spring." She explained, sitting down on his bed. "I kind of wanted to do something with you today, Link. Just the two of us. Together. I wanted to maybe go see Faron Province or Faron Woods. We could take Epona, or walk, either is fine."

Link sat down next to her. He was a quiet person. She respected that. He blinked twice. That usually meant that he was listening. Ilia had to fill the silence.

"Well, do you want to? I just wanted to spend some time with you, away from Ordon." She whispered.

He smiled. He reached over gingerly and lightly grabbed Ilia's hand. She smiled up at him.

"I'd like that." He whispered. She bit her bottom lip and grinned. Link reached up with his other hand and rested it on her cheek. He leaned in, closer and closer, until-

"LIIIINNNKKK!?!?" screamed a voice from outside. It was Talo's. Link was so surprised; he practically flew to the ceiling. Ilia silently swore under her breath. The perfect moment, ruined! Link ran over to the window and peeked out. Talo waved up to him. "Link! Rusl needs to see you, now!"

Link walked back across his room and picked up a clean white shirt and pulled it over his head. His dirty blonde hair stuck out in little spikes. Ilia looked down at her hands, embarrassed.

"I'll be back." Link called out to her as he walked out the door.

* * *

**Please reviewww! I will add much more, as this is only the beginning. The beginning of what?! DUN DUN DUN. ~Vessipan**


	2. Chapter 2: The Necklace

Link ran down the little path to Ordon Village. He leaped the stream and rapped his knuckles on Rusl, Uli and Colin's front door. Rusl opened it quickly and ushered Link inside. Rusl sat down on a small wooden stool and motioned for Link to do the same.

"Link, sometimes I worry about you." He said, his voice weak. "You're seventeen. You're young. You don't have any parents to guide you or tell you wrong from right." Link winced. Talking about his parents had always been a tough subject. "So I have always felt that it was my duty to lead you in your life. I have treated you like a son, and right now, I need to have a talk with you like a father has with his son."

Link blinked twice. That usually meant he was listening. Rusl continued.

"Link, someday you are going to get married. Am I correct?" he asked. Link nodded. "And all of us in the village suspect that person is going to be Ilia. Am I incorrect?"

Link blushed. Married? To Ilia? Forever? The idea seemed strange.

"When we are working in Ordon Ranch or whenever I talk to anyone in this village, they all agree that eventually you will marry Ilia and take place as Mayor of Ordon." Rusl explained. "Well, when the time is right, give her this." He pulled out a small silver necklace from his pocket. Link recognized it; it was a silver circle made of vines. Every married woman in Ordon wore one. It symbolized eternal marriage and bliss.

"Propose to her. It may not be Ilia, but I have a strong hunch it will be." Rusl stood up and motioned towards the door. Link clasped the necklace in his hand and walked towards the door.

"Oh, and one more thing. After you are married and the time is right, just act on your instincts." He winked at Link. "I'm sure Ilia will make a wonderful wife and mother, and you will make an exceptional husband and father."

Link walked out the door and blinked into the suddenly way-too-bright sun. Wife? Mother? Husband? Father? He was seventeen! None of those terms should apply to him OR Ilia. She was only sixteen. He clenched the silver necklace in his hands tightly. Rusl was too nice in giving him the necklace. It must have cost a lot of rupees, and he must have traveled to Castle Town just to purchase it. He imagined himself with Ilia, tying the string of leather with the silver ring of vines around her slender neck.

Father?

Father!

Link raced to his secluded tree house.

"Ilia! Ilia!" he called up to her as he feverishly climbed the ladder. She rushed out onto the balcony to greet him.

"What is it Link?" she asked him, grabbing his forearms. "What did he want?"

"Nothing." Link muttered. He wrapped his hands in Ilia's. She glanced up into his eyes. She loved his eyes. They were beautiful and deep. And thoughtful. Very thoughtful.

"Link," she breathed. "Do you want to sit in Ordon Spring or something?"

He nodded. She smiled and they both climbed down the treehouse ladder.

Link helped Ilia on top of Epona. He didn't stop staring at her. She nervously grabbed on to Epona's white mane. Link rested his hand on her thigh and grabbed the leather reigns. She gasped lightly. Link looked up at her and smiled. They walked to Ordon Spring together.


	3. Chapter 3: Ordon Spring

When they arrived at Ordon Spring, Link tied Epona up to the outside gate. She whinnied softly as Ilia was lifted off of her by Link. Link helped Ilia to the ground and rested his hands on her hips for a second longer than necessary, though none of them noticed or cared.

"Link…" she sighed. "I have to ask you something." She grabbed both of his hands. 'Do you love me?"

Link blinked twice, gasped, and blushed. Then he nodded quickly and shyly.

"Good. Because I love you too Link." She whispered. "I love you a lot."

She leaned in to kiss him, and this time, it was uninterrupted. Wow, he thought. This is what kissing feels like. He wrapped his arms around Ilia and stepped closer to her, pressing his body to hers. She moved her arms up his shoulders and across his back. She folded them across the back of his neck.

She broke off the kiss. But she let her lips rest a millimeter away from Link's own, teasing him. The feeling of being together like that lingered on Link's body.

"Let's go swimming." She murmured. He nodded. He pulled off his shirt and pants, revealing shorts underneath. She pulled off her pants, leaving her long shirt on for cover.

For the next couple of hours, they splashed around and laughed and joked in the cool waters of Ordon Spring. Link loved the way Ilia laughed and screamed his name when he splashed her. When the sky started to turn pink and the burning sun started to sink lower towards the horizon, Link and Ilia calmed down and lay on the sands of Ordon Spring and held hands and talked.

Further into their conversation, Ilia climbed on top of Link's chest and rested her head against his neck. Link felt the silver necklace in his pocket press up against his skin when she sat down, like a small reminder to him that it was still there.

"Link," she whispered, stroking his chest lightly. "I don't just love you. I'm IN love with you too. I have been for a long time."

Link nodded in agreement. He stroked her hair lightly. _"Well, when the time is right, give her this." _Rusl's words echoed in his skull. _"I'm sure Ilia will make a wonderful wife and mother, and you will make an exceptional husband and father."_

"Ilia." He said softly, wrapping his arms tighter around her. Every touch they shared felt electric and sensational. He moved his hand inside his pocket and clasped his fingers around the silver charm. He had to make a decision. Did he want to marry Ilia? Spend the rest of his life with this wonderful person? It was now or never. Suddenly being married to Ilia didn't sound like such a strange idea. It seemed warm and comforting. She WOULD make a wonderful wife. But mother? Not so soon.

"Ilia." He repeated, with more force. It was quite loud for Link actually. She half leaned up next to him.

"What?" she asked him, her voice soft and melodic. He dreamed of her voice. He loved it.

"I want to ask you something. It's important, so please answer as truthfully as possible." He explained. It was the longest sentence anyone had ever heard him speak, so she hung onto every word.

"Ilia." He breathed. His hands shook slightly. "W-w-will, you, please, um, uh…"

He took a deep breath and relaxed a little bit. "Will you marry me Ilia? Please?"


	4. Chapter 4: The Proposal

"W-w-what?" gasped Ilia. She sat up off of Link's chest and scrambled back onto the sand. "Married? Like, with kids? You haven't even courted me! I'm guessing that you never asked my father! I'm sixteen! I don't want kids! I'm too young! Link, I don't know what to say."

Link, being a polite and thoughtful person, waited until Ilia was done babbling until he spoke.

"Ilia, please calm down. No, I don't want kids. I'm too young too. But yes, I do want to be married to you. I want to spend the rest of m-my life with you. But no kids at all. At least, not yet if you don't want to." He whispered.

"Do you even have the necklace?" she cried.

"Of course." He responded. With shaking hands, he pulled it out of his pocket. The silver charm on the end captured the light from the setting sun and reflected it. She lunged forward and grabbed it. As she sat there examining the intricate detail of the vines on the charm, Link held his breath.

"Wow, Link. It's beautiful." She sighed. "But I don't know about the whole marriage thing. It's might not work out." Link held his hands in his head. "But then again," she answered. "We can make it work!"

She collapsed onto Link's chest and kissed him right on the lips.

"W-what? Does this mean yes?" he cried, holding her tight in his arms.

"This means yes!" she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him all over his face.

Link picked her up and sat her down on Epona. The walked back to Ordon Village. The entire time Link's hand rested on her thigh. She was floating on Cloud 9 all the way home.

When they arrived at Link's house, Ilia clambered off of Epona and faced Link. He was there, and so close too. So real. She smiled and kissed him. Link spun her around and tied the necklace around her neck. She felt it against her collarbone, heavy and solid. She slowly turned around to face him. He was so sweet and caring. His hair was playfully a mess, his clothes were stained, but she couldn't stop staring into his deep, piercing eyes. They were an entity all in their own. She loved his eyes.

"Link, I love you. So much." She said. She raised her hand and stroked his messy hair. He chuckled. They leaned into kiss. They kissed a slow, thoughtful and sweet kiss. They both loved each other so much. It was indescribable.

Link walked Ilia home that night. He rested a sound, soft sleep. He awoke the next morning to Ilia stroking his hair and staring into his eyes. He gazed up into hers.

"Good morning." She said, softly. "If you're wondering how my father took the news, he took it surprisingly well. Like he expected it." She half smiled. "Link, I, um, I'm also supposed to tell you that my father wants you to take some goods to castle town." Link blinked twice.

"Just some goat milk and other goods, just hitch Epona up to the cart and you can take them down. I'll look after the house when you're gone." She babbled, playing with the charm tied around her neck. "Well, be safe."

Link slid out of bed. He was only wearing shorts, which made Ilia blush. Link looked down and realized he was only wearing shorts, which made him blush. He quickly pulled on his clothes and gave Ilia a swift kiss on the cheek before heading out the door. A quick ride to the Castle Town would give him lots of time to think.


	5. Chapter 5: Castle Town

Link and Epona slowly rode to Castle Town. Luckily, they got there around mid-day. And luckily enough, the Castle Town delivery system was backed out the door with deliveries. Link endured hours of sitting in line while less-than-enthusiastic guards bought wares from people all over Hyrule. The sun was setting when they finally finished with everyone and it was Link's turn. Since he would arrive at Ordon extremely late if he departed just then, he just decided it would be best to spend the night in Castle Town.

Link walked along the back roads. He held his lantern high to light the way. Very few people were walking along the road as well. They all appeared very busy.

One woman he saw was collapsed in a shapeless heap on the ground, uncontrollably sobbing. Being the polite young man Link was, he offered to help her up. She clasped onto his elbow and shakily stood up. She grabbed onto his arms and sobbed into his chest. He awkwardly patted her on the head. Eventually, she calmed down enough to speak.

"I-I-I-I'm so s-sorry…" she blubbered. "It's j-j-just that I woke up and I didn't know where I-I-I was or what h-happened, I'm sorry."

Link blinked twice. He steadied her a little bit more on her feet and looked at her closely. She was petite, or young. She was wearing a long black cloak that covered her entire body and most of her face. Only her small mouth and chin peeked out. Her skin was extremely pale.

"I guess you can come with me." Link softly told her. She smiled and walked with Link along the road.

They came to a small inn. The innkeeper gave them a single room (because that's all Link could afford with his money) and they settled in.

"Thank you for your kindness. Most people just passed me by in the road." She said, sitting down on the giant bed. Link removed his satchel and threw it on the ground. She pulled back the hood of her cloak.

The woman was extremely beautiful. She was something different. She had black, pin straight hair swept past her face. She had dark gray eyes that caught every movement. She was extremely pale. But she was beautiful.

Link couldn't stop staring at her face. She was gorgeous. He longed to touch her high cheekbones, just to see if she was an apparition or not.

"What is it?" she asked warily, taking off her cloak. She was wearing a tight gray dress with a black leather belt on it. The belt had a sharp knife hitched on it.

Link shook his head. "Nothing." He answered, pulling off his boots. "I'll sleep on the floor and you can have the bed."

"No," she replied, "Don't go through so much trouble. You look tired, so you deserve the bed. I'll take up as little room as possible. I promise."

Link climbed on the bed and pulled back the covers. He climbed under the covers on one side of the bed and rested his head against the pillow. She did the same.

"Goodnight." He whispered, blowing out the candle.

His sleep was a restless one. He dreamed about Ilia and holding her close, her sweet smell filling his nose. When he woke up, his arms were wrapped around the strange girl. She was soundly asleep. He didn't have the heart to move in the risk of waking her, so he eventually dozed off again.

When Link woke up, he was tied down to a stone floor in a small room. The girl, he satchel, his money, and his clothes were gone.


	6. Chapter 6: The Thieves

Link gasped. He looked up into the eyes of the girl that he had helped the night before.

"You gullible fool." She sneered. She crouched down to Link's level and stared into his eyes. She had on a tight black leather bra and black leather short-shorts. A dagger was carefully wedged in her voluminous cleavage. Her long black hair was up in a ponytail. She looked dangerous.

"My name is Onyx. I run an operation of thieves in Castle Town. For an Ordon, you netted quite the profit there with that stock of goat milk." She chuckled, standing back up. She smiled. One of her teeth was made out of a large diamond.

"Luckily for you," she continued, placing her hands on her wide hips, "You aren't as ugly as most men we lure in. So the girls here have decided to spare you for a price." She sat on Link's stomach, her long, pale legs straddling his waist.

"Join us. You have, _incredible_ potential." She whispered seductively, rubbing his chest. "We get awfully bored here. The girls would like some fun."

Chattering and laughter grew louder as the door to the room was thrown open and three other women dressed alike strode in. They gasped when they saw Link.

"He's perfect." Sang one woman with enthusiasm, clasping her hands together. She was blonde.

"He's a little young." Growled another woman, crossing her arms across her chest. She had curly red hair.

"I'm definitely seeing potential." Cried the third, rubbing Link's arm. She had wavy brown hair.

"Well then, majority counts. Welcome. This is Blondie, Rust and Cocoa. Their names match their hair. I'm about to make you a deal of a lifetime. I will offer you two thousand rupees to join us. Two thousand can buy your little fiancée a new dress." She giggled.

"What do you know about Ilia?" he yelled, attempting to sit up.

"Oh, now he talks." Onyx sneered. "Link, _everyone_ talks after they drink this." She held up a small, clear bottle filled with green liquid. "Green Chu Jelly. Only I know where it lives."

She smiled. "Yes, Link, we all know about your, _desires_ with Ilia." She threw her head back and laughed. "Link, I'm starting to like you."

Suddenly, a petite girl with electric blue hair threw open the door.

"Onyx, I apologize for my lack of punctuality. I'll arrive at an earlier hour next time." She said. She had a soft voice. It wasn't hard like the other women's.

"Oh yes. This is River." Onyx growled. She licked Link's neck. "River, this is Link. He's new."

Blondie snapped her fingers. "Onyx, the appointment. Diplomat Arrizon has the shipment."

"Yes." Onyx answered, standing up. "River, watch the boy. This is important business. Blondie, Cocoa, Rust. Let's go."

River crossed the room when they left.

"Link, I'm sorry. I saw everything they did to you. I-I-I, I can't do anything to help you." She whispered, grabbing his hand. "Accept the two thousand rupee offer or else they'll kill you. Trust me." She started crying softly.

"What's wrong?" he whispered, stroking his fingers across her hand.

"I only joined their business because I was homeless. I was a drunk, and one morning I woke up with blue hair. They got me back on my feet, but I don't like they direction they made me walk." She replied, brushing the tears feverishly from her eyes. "You're underneath Lake Hylia right now, in a pressurized facility. Don't even think about escape. Trust me, I've been there."

"I know this sounds selfish, but I need to go home. I don't care about the money, I care about the well-being of my fiancée. I need to know if she's alright." He said, raising his head.

"I can't let you do that." She responded, shaking her head. "They're trained assassins. They'll track you down with bloodhounds and shoot you between the eyes. I've seen it."

He rested his head back down on the tile.

"I can get you your clothes, if that makes you more comfortable." She offered.

"Thank you." He replied, blushing. She stood up and left, and then returned with his clothes. River unlocked his chains, and turned around while he dressed.

"How old are you?" she asked, sitting down on the ground. He rubbed his wrists.

"Seventeen." He replied softly.

"Wow. That's a bit young to want to be married. Ha. I'm sixteen." She answered. He smiled a sad, cold smile. She wrapped her arms around him. "We can be friends."

Meanwhile, Ilia stared at the starry sky, although she could not see them because she was crying. Link had been gone too long, and he wouldn't just leave the village, or her, like that. There was something wrong.


	7. Chapter 7: Dog Duty

Link rubbed his wrists. River looked up suddenly and ran back to where she was standing before, at the edge of the room. Onyx walked in.

"River, leave the room. I need to be alone with Link." She barked, removing her long black cloak. It was the same one that Link had seen her in from before. River looked back at Link with an alarmed expression on her face and exited.

Onyx sat down next to Link.

"Remove my clothes and have sex with me." she ordered, staring into his eyes.

"No!" Link replied, looking quite surprised. "I'm, uh, saving myself and my innocence for my marriage with Ilia." He blushed feverishly. "I can't do that to her."

"Oh, how sweet." She sneered, standing back up. "I knew you didn't have it in you. If you can't do this, perhaps you can be on dog duty with River."

Link considered his options. What was dog duty? If it was with River, he could be with her more often. But what if it was horrible?

"What's dog duty?" he asked.

"You'll find out. Let's go." She growled, grabbing his arm.

Onyx led him through a series of twisting tunnels and stairwells carved into the stone beneath Lake Hylia. She went into a specific cavern and climbed a very tall winding staircase. At the top was a trapdoor going up. Link and Onyx went through it.

It led to the surface, but the hole came up in the middle of a small field surrounded by high rocky cliffs.

"Don't even think about escaping. It's impossible. Every day the dogs are released from their pens when the sun is directly over this field. They come out of small doors in the walls. You're job is to entertain them and feed them. You'll live in that small shack with River." She said, pointing to a small wooden building to the side. "We'll supply you with meat every day. These are trained attack dogs. With the blow of my whistle, they will kill everyone around besides me and the girls."

Link gulped.

"Well, good luck." She moaned sarcastically, opening the trapdoor and climbing down. There were several heavy clicks as many locks and deadbolts slid into place.

It was the morning, so Link had a very long time before it was dog time. He went into the shack. River was there.

"Oh, hi Link!" she said, a bright smile filling her face. She ran across the room and hugged him. He hugged her back. "I see you're on dog duty, it's not fun. The dogs aren't nice. They're vicious. I've been bitten a lot…" she explained, showing him her arms and hands where scars covered them. Link grabbed her arms and studied them for a moment before she pulled away and sat down on the only bed.

"Link there's something I need to tell you. The meat the dogs eat comes out on bones. For a couple of months now, I've been collecting the meat-free bones and making holes in them. I've made a ladder using threads from the quilt that used to be on our bed." She whispered quickly, glancing around as if someone were listening. Link's eyes widened. "The ladder's long enough to hang down from the roof to the ground. At night, I climb it and use rocks to carve away at the stone wall keeping us prisoner. I think I'm close to a breakthrough. We can escape." She said, rubbing her hands together nervously. Link sat for a bit and thought.

"I'm with you the whole way." He answered. She jumped over and hugged him.

"Thank you." She gratefully told him, burying her head in his chest. His heart skipped a beat, although he did not know why.

They kept quiet the next couple of hours, as River explained to him everything she knew. She used to have a boyfriend, and he was with the thieves before he got assassinated on a mission. She was distraught, so they took her in and fixed her ways. She had tried to escape many times, so they put her on escape-proof Dog Duty.

A couple of hours later, a horn sounded. River looked up in fright.

"It's feeding time." She said with dread.

Link and her exited the shack. Ten doors slid up simultaneously. About fifty dogs rushed out, slobber flying from bared teeth. They eyed Link suspiciously. He was new. They hated new people. All at once they ran towards Link, barking and snarling. He tensed up, waiting for the teeth and claws to hit when huge chicken legs and t-bone steaks flew out into the field from the doors. The dogs gave Link one last spiteful look before they ran off to eat the meat.

Link breathed a sigh of relief. River clutched onto his arm and he pulled her closer. She was shaking.

"We'll escape." He told her. "Don't worry, we'll escape."


End file.
